Shoppe Talk Archives - Sunflower Shoppe

Women’s Health: The Top 5 Supplements for Every Woman

Bryan Bradford — Wed, 04 May 2022 17:17:39 +0000

In an ideal world, our friends, family, and diet would supply us with all we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, over the past several years, we’ve learned that the world isn’t always ideal, and we need all the help we can get to maintain our healthiest selves. The good news is that there are specialized supplements that can keep us looking and feeling our best even as we face the rigors of everyday life.

While each person’s health requirements are unique, the following supplements can be used by any woman who wants to improve her overall quality of life by lowering stress, improving hair and skin health, optimizing hormone balance, and raising concentration and energy levels.

Maca is a Peruvian superfood prized for thousands of years1 for its ability to boost energy and maintain hormonal balance2. As evidenced by recent studies, maca can help ease symptoms of PMS, PCOS3, and menopause while also improving libido, fertility, skin health, and exercise recovery4.

Hyaluronic acid is naturally found in the body and can hold 1,000 times its weight in water, making it ideal for rejuvenating dull skin and instantly reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles5. Internally, hyaluronic acid reduces inflammation6, soothes dry eyes7, and lubricates joints8.

B-complex vitamins are vital for hormone balance9, metabolism10, energy11, digestion12, memory13, and minimizing mood swings and depression14. Unfortunately, stress raises our body’s demand for B vitamins15, often leaving us deficient. Look for B-complexes specifically for stress which contain all eight essential B vitamins, plus relaxing herbs and vitamins, such as vitamin C, that help us recover from stress faster16.

Collagen is a structural protein found in nearly every organ and tissue of the body, essential for our skin, hair, nails, and bones to remain healthy.17 Ever wonder how our body holds itself together? What shapes organs? It’s collagen. Modern diets lack in collagen, and as we become older, our bodies produce less and less18 making collagen supplementation vital for maintaining our health and youthful appearance.

Adrenals produce hormones that help us stay awake and focused throughout the day. When our adrenals are robust, we are energetic and resilient.19 If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, panic attacks, brain fog, chronic fatigue, or even insomnia, adrenal fatigue is the likely culprit.20 Fortunately, they’re specialized adrenal supplements that can renew, energize and calm our adrenals. Ask us which one is right for you.

Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron are the building blocks of a strong and healthy body. However, these minerals are classified by the FDA as “minerals of concern” because they are deficient in most women’s diets21. Even with a balanced diet, our food contains up to 80% fewer minerals than 50 years ago due to soil depletion, making it essential to supplement.22 Calcium and magnesium are necessary for bone health, but they also help regulate blood pressure23, blood sugar24 and nerve function.25 Iron is known for its energy-boosting effects26, but it also improves hair thinning,27 supplies cells with oxygen28and helps recover from exercise30.

For the ladies who want to enhance their general health, we hope that our guide will help you stay strong, vibrant and healthy no matter what life throws at you.

[References]

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Tis the season for allergies

Sunflower Shoppe — Sat, 12 Dec 2020 01:59:28 +0000

Treating allergies during a pandemic is nothing to sneeze at.

If you’ve turned on a T.V. lately, you will get the impression that nobody gets sick from anything other than covid-19 these days. While the covid-19 pandemic is still sweeping across the nation, something else is taking people’s breath away – allergy season. Treating allergies is a top priority for chronic allergy sufferers, especially in Texas, where we have a seemingly perpetual allergy season. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, it is even more important to treat allergies, and it could be one of the key ways to slow the pandemic.

When a foreign substance enters the body, i.e., ragweed pollen, the immune system marks it for elimination by producing the chemical histamine. This causes watery eyes, sneezing, runny noses, and sinus inflammation, which is how our body eliminates foreign substances¹ – unfortunately, it’s also how we most easily spread or get infected by coronavirus². While histamine is a handy tool to remove harmful toxins, an allergic reaction to common pollen and dust is an indication the immune system is out of balance³. Fortunately, research shows us many natural remedies that can improve our immune response to allergens and reduce allergy symptoms⁴.

Here are some of our most useful remedies:

Diet & Lifestyle:

Reducing environmental allergen exposure is the first step in fighting allergies⁵. It’s good practice to shower and wash clothes after being outdoors for an extended time. Don’t forget that shoes and pets are hidden sources of pollen contamination. Also, consider dust-proofing your bedroom by installing a HEPA air purifier, regularly dusting, and changing air conditioning filters. Be sure to check for hidden mold in bathrooms and living areas as well^6,7.
Wash your nose: Nasal sprays and Neti Pots are a great way to wash away allergens from the nasal cavity altogether. Several clinical studies using Neti Pots were shown to reduce nasal congestion, sinus infections, and improve the overall quality of life greater than prescription medications⁸!
Diet is one of the most overlooked areas for allergy relief. A lot of healthy foods like tomatoes, spinach, citrus fruits, and others cause histamine production⁹. Processed foods such as wheat¹⁰, sugar¹¹, and dairy¹² can be inflammatory and keep our immune system on high alert. Reducing dietary histamine load and eliminating inflammatory foods can dramatically reduce seasonal allergies¹³.
Stress reduction is a crucial step in treating allergies¹⁴. During times of stress, our bodies produce cortisol. This stress hormone makes our immune system hypersensitive to allergens¹⁵. If the stress is chronic it can further dysregulate our immune system leading to chemical hypersensitivity syndrome¹⁶. One of the key ways to reduce stress is to activate the body’s relaxation response, a proven physiological mechanism that lowers blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, adrenaline levels, and cortisol levels¹⁷. There are many ways to induce the relaxation response, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, or exercise¹⁸.

Supplements:

Nettles are the number one anti-allergy herb. Nettle leaf has been used for hundreds of years to treat everything from high blood pressure, inflammation, and diabetes to seasonal allergies. Recent research shows that nettles contain a histamine-like compound that binds to our body’s histamine receptors and prevents natural histamine from interacting with them, avoiding inflammatory reactions much like modern medications but without the side effects¹⁹.
Butterbur is a less well-known anti-allergy herb but one of the most powerful. In one study of 580 patients, 90% experienced significant allergy relief in just one week²⁰. In other studies, directly comparing butterbur to Allegra and Zyrtec butterbur was equally effective without side effects^21,22. Butterbur blocks leukotrienes, inflammatory compounds produced along with histamine by overactive immune cells^23,24.
Quercetin, Bromelain, and Vitamin C are a classic trio when it comes to seasonal allergy relief. Quercetin is an antioxidant that stabilizes the immune system and downregulates the production of actual histamine receptors²⁵. Bromelain is an anti-inflammatory enzyme that not only helps quercetin absorption but reduces swelling in the sinuses and lungs²⁶. Vitamin C helps with the detoxification of histamine. In one study, vitamin c alone dropped histamine levels by 40%²⁷!
Adaptogens are a particular class of herbs that help rebalance our immune system and reduce stress. Reishi mushroom is an adaptogen that has strong allergy reducing²⁸ ability as well as stress-reducing properties²⁹. Astragalus is perhaps the most powerful adaptogen of all, showing antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, and yes, anti-allergy activity^30,31,32.

Lemon balm is another excellent herb for allergies as it helps decrease stress³³, increase focus³⁴, improve mood³⁵, and is a potent antiviral^36,37.

Using our guide, we hope you can finally breathe a sigh of relief, ditch the pharmaceuticals and their side effects for a better and more natural approach this allergy season.

[References]

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The Quarantine 15

Sunflower Shoppe — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 21:20:30 +0000

From flattening the curve to fattening the curve — how the coronavirus pandemic led to weight gain and what to do about it.

It appears that the “quarantine 15” has spread faster than coronavirus itself – and affected more people. Recent reports have suggested that 76% of Americans have gained weight during the global coronavirus pandemic.¹ While we were quarantining to flatten the curve, an unfortunate side effect was that many of us were busy at home fattening the curve. The quarantine 15 wasn’t hard to predict. The coronavirus pandemic changed how we live, work, exercise – and eat. Right after toilet paper and Lysol wipes, nationwide shortages of flour and bakers’ yeast were ominous signs of what was to come.²

Jokes aside, pandemic weight gain is an important health topic to address as obesity is the number one predictor of coronavirus mortality.³ This fact is not lost on Americans struggling with their weight as 63% say that their main focus is weight loss as lockdown restrictions are beginning to ease.¹ Fret not, we are here to help. Using our healthy techniques and supplements, you can take hold of your health again with these Healthy Weight Management Strategies.

Creating a healthy daily sleep-wake routine can help you keep track of progress and keep your mind focused on weight goals. Waking up early makes room for early morning workouts which studies show boost metabolism more than nighttime workouts.⁴ Waking up on time is also an opportunity to get morning sun which lowers depression and increases motivation. Going to bed on time can help us break bad habits like late-night snacking and endless scrolling on social media both things that disrupt our circadian rhythms, raise stress levels, wreck hormones, and slow down our metabolism.⁵
Focus on adequate sleep. One night of poor sleep can increase food intake by as much as 900 calories the following day!⁸ Predictably these calories aren’t from extra carrots and kale but foods highest in fat and sugar.⁸In one study, researchers found that poor sleep had a “remarkable” impact on our endocrine system, increasing our stress hormone cortisol and causing us to become insulin resistant, a precursor to obesity and diabetes.⁹
Getting regular exercise is one of the best methods to reduce all risk factors associated with COVID19, especially obesity.⁶ The good news is that you need not spend hours at the gym every day as new research has found exercising just 7 minutes per day gives the same health benefits as exercising 45 minutes per day in a 6-week trial.⁷ Googling “7-minute workout” will bring up many routines you can do at home without equipment.
Managing stress during the pandemic is vital to reversing the quarantine 15. Stress leads to bad habits that wreak havoc on our metabolism. Indeed, international surveys show that 70% of people attribute their quarantine weight gain to stress eating and drinking.¹⁰Reports indicate that alcohol sales have gone up 55%¹¹so remember that fat and sugar metabolism grinds to a halt until the body can burn off the alcohol.¹² Spending time in nature is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Studies show that the more “green space” one has, the lower their reported stress score. Just 5 minutes outdoors is enough to lower stress hormones.¹³ Meditating or deep breathing enhances the stress-reducing effects of spending time in nature.¹⁴

Targeted Weight Control Supplements

Energy-boosting supplements help keep you energized, motivated, and focused throughout the day. Fatigue is the number one patient complaint in America and is certainly a hindrance to staying active and losing weight.¹⁵Use our energy boosters to improve thyroid and adrenal function for a safer alternative than harsh energy drinks which worsens fatigue by stressing the body.¹⁶ As a bonus, many stimulants naturally reduce appetite.¹⁷
Appetite reducing supplements work in a variety of ways, but you have to choose the right one for the situation for them to be effective. During the pandemic, we need to use suppressants that target stress eating specifically. Multiple studies now confirm 5-htp is the best at reducing carb cravings as well as emotional eating.¹⁸ You can take 5-htp by itself or as part of a formula with other synergistic herbs.
Meal replacement shakes More protein, fewer carbs – adding more protein which contain important amino acids, (such as the aforementioned 5-htp) into your diet can aid in weigh control. Protein has been shown to offset energy dips and the dreaded blood sugar crash. Protein drinks and meal replacement shakes often combine many weight control enhancing ingredients such as greens, fiber, vitamins, minerals, probiotics and enzymes. These make for a convenient and easy way to help you stick to your diet.¹⁹Just replacing one meal a day already takes care of 33% of your diet so you can focus on other things.
Stressbusters One of the best anti-anxiety adaptogens is Ashwagandha, a natural balancer targeting the fight-or-flight response. It’s an effective, anti-anxiety herb, as it decreases adrenaline, mitigates stress and elevates mood all of which can lead to better sleep. Magnesium helps reduce stress and also aids weight control. A recent study showed that magnesium reduced water retention and bloating while also lowering blood sugar and insulin level, helping the body stay in fat-burning mode.²²

We hope you can use our tips and supplements to help you flatten your own curve during the pandemic. These tips will become increasingly important as we come closer to the holiday season.

[References]

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Summer Travels during a Pandemic – Essentials to Stay Healthy

Bryan Bradford — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 16:39:38 +0000

‘Safecations’ and safe travels during coronavirus
Kick the isolation blues to the curb and hit the road with our safe traveling tips.
Here at the Sunflower Shoppe, we feel that travel is largely a force for good – especially if you can do it safely. Vacations and traveling help us recharge not only ourselves but our communities and economies that have been harshly impacted by the pandemic shutdowns. As hotels, restaurants, parks, and beaches being to reopen, we know that millions are waiting to travel again. As we contemplate venturing out, we must do it in a way that ensures the safety of ourselves and our communities without inciting the dreaded “second wave” of the pandemic.
We don’t just want to travel; we need to travel for our mental and physical health. Some experts are predicting the shutdowns themselves will cost more lives than the pandemic as isolation stresses and depression are already at record levels.1 When it comes to traveling, the question becomes not whether, when, or where, but how. The prospect of safe travels may seem like a distant memory with a tenuous future, but as always, the anecdote to FOGO (Fear of Going Out), is knowledge. Please use our safe travels guide to have peace of mind as you begin planning vacations and travels again.
The Basics: During a pandemic going to the grocery store much less traveling to another city or country requires new protocols. The good news is that what works at home, works abroad. Stick to the basics we’ve all learned:2
1. Stay 6 feet or further away from those whom you do not live with.
2. Avoid touching your face, especially areas around your mouth and eyes.
3. Wash hands and face diligently with soap and water.
4. Bring extra sanitizer. Sanitize phones, door handles, all keypads, and any frequently touched surfaces, including seats, armrests, and headrests. Assume nothing is clean.
5. Avoid people who are coughing or appear sick and do not travel if you are feeling unwell.
Sanitize! Hand sanitizer can be hard to find on the road. Here is our recipe so you can bring your own: 1 cup of 91% isopropyl alcohol, ½ cup aloe vera gel, 15 drops of essential oils. Add your favorite smelling essential oils along with our 5-Shield Blend, which has excellent anti-microbial properties.3
Become Invincible: The power of invincibility is not in avoiding attacks but withstanding them without harm. Keeping our immune systems in top shape is our best defense and, therefore, the safest practice of all. The following supplements have been used successfully in coronavirus protocols:
1. Vitamin D3 status is a key critical predictor of coronavirus mortality. In multiple studies, those with adequate vitamin d status were up to 10 times less likely to die.4 Recommended doses are up to 5,000 IU daily.
2. Vitamin C reduces hospital stays and halts disease severity in influenza in several studies.5 Several studies are underway to evaluate vitamin c for COVID-19 as it prevents cytokine storms and is lung protective. Take 500mg twice daily of pure ascorbic acid for prevention and up to 12,000 mg daily during symptoms.6
3. Zinc helps fight COVID-19 progression via several mechanisms, including stopping viral replication, preventing viral entry into cells, and balancing immune system responses.7,8 Studied doses are up to 75mg daily for two weeks.9
4. Melatonin is a master regulator of our immune system, and studies show it is critical in preventing typically mild coronavirus infections from progressing to the more severe COVID-19.10 Doses for the symptomatic are 5 to 10mg at bedtime for two weeks.11
Look for wide open, outside spaces: Save the extrovert exhibitions for another time; avoid theme parks, bars, clubs, and other crowded indoor areas. Now is when we should choose open destinations where we can maintain our 6-foot distancing. Parks and campgrounds are better options and are immune-boosting in their own right as are pools and beaches as long as distances are preserved.12 Choose activities that include lots of sunlight as recent reports suggest 34 minutes of sunshine is enough to kill the coronavirus.13
Make high standards your standard: No matter where you travel to make sure they are taking the pandemic seriously. Look for contact-less check-ins and outs, well-trained staff, mask requirements, readily available hand sanitizer, and enhanced cleaning practices. While on the road, avoid poorly ventilated gas station bathrooms, utilize curbside options at restaurants, and eat outdoors.14,15
Whether you’re traveling around the block, across town, or to an exotic location, we hope we’ve given you the knowledge and tools to do it the safest way possible. Safe travels and Godspeed from all of us here at the Sunflower Shoppe.
[References]
1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/04/mental-health-coronavirus/
2. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5206475/
4. https://emerginnova.com/patterns-of-covid19-mortality-and-vitamin-d-an-indonesian-study/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6521194/
6. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04264533
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7247509/
8. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.02.20080036v1
9. https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijmm.2020.4575/download
10. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320520303313
11. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04409522
12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/
13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32502327/
14. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/public-bathrooms-carry-coronavirus-risks-heres-how-to-be-careful
15. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-safe-travel-advice/art-20486965

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5 Supplements to Boost Immune System

Gina Jaeger, PhD — Thu, 07 May 2020 21:28:29 +0000

Natural strategies for strengthening the immune system are in high demand these days, and it’s not hard to see why. As the world prepares itself for the uncertainty of what lies ahead, one thing is for certain: actively working to maintain a healthy immune system is a trend we’d all be wise to follow. Not only for the health of ourselves, but for the health of our communities.

Ok, so does that mean you should take every supplement that claims to enhance immune health and drink your weight in orange juice every morning? Not exactly. While getting a healthy daily dose of vitamin C is certainly a tried-and-true method for boosting immune health, there are other nutritional strategies you can adopt to give your immune system an added advantage. But before we jump into the nutritional research, let’s quickly review what the immune system is, and how it helps protect the body from invading pathogens.

Immune System 101: What is it and how does it work?

Put simply, the immune system is a defense system that helps protect the body from invading pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. It encompasses a diverse group of immune-related cells that can be broadly categorized as either innate or adaptive immune cells, based on their different properties and mechanisms.1

Innate immune cells (such as macrophages, neutrophils, and NK cells) serve as the body’s first line of defense against pathogens. Although they are quick to respond to threats, innate immune cells carry out less specific responses to individual pathogens.2 Conversely, adaptive immune cells (namely T cells and B cells) are slower to respond but produce and respond to antibodies, which enables the immune system to remember past infections for future defense. For example, B cells develop antibodies against the pathogens they encounter, which enable them
to respond more efficiently during a second encounter.2

Importantly, how well these different immune cells are able to coordinate their activities determines how effectively the host can mount an immune response, and ultimately, their ability to stay healthy. One of the ways immune cells typically accomplish this task is by secreting cytokines —molecules that attract other immune cells to the site of infection and regulate their activation or suppression.3,4

So, what factors contribute to the quality of a body’s immune response? Although a number of different variables (e.g., age, underlying health, stress levels, sleep habits, etc.) contribute to an organism’s immune health, the importance of proper nutrition cannot be overstated.5 Let’s discuss some of the nutrients and dietary factors that have been found to have immune-regulatory effects, and benefits for immune health.

1. Omega-3s

Omega-3s Help the Body Respond to Cellular Stress

Short-term cell stress responses are a normal and necessary physiological response that help the body initiate processes designed to restore damaged body cells and tissues after an injury, infection, or illness. However, if these cell stress responses (often referred to as the body’s inflammatory response) become long-term, they can damage cells and tissues, and ultimately contribute to a variety of chronic health problems. 7,8

That’s where omega-3s come in. Because of their ability to synthesize potent signal molecules that help lower cell stress responses, fatty acids such as EPA and DHA can help the body return to normal after a threat has passed.9 In contrast, the potent signal molecules made from the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA) serve to help raise cell stress responses.10

This means that if omega-6 fatty acids are more abundant in cell membranes, then signal molecules that help promote a cell stress response will be more common. Conversely, if omega-3 fatty acids are more abundant, then signal molecules that help lower a cell stress response will be more common. Although cells need both types of fatty acids to function, research suggests that having an abundance of omega-3s is favorable for maintaining a healthy cell response and overall immune health.7,9,10

Omega-3s Enhance Immune Cell Function

Another important way that omega-3s promote immune health is by enhancing the function of both innate and adaptive immune cells.6 For example, DHA and EPA can help regulate the activities of macrophage cells, which play a critical role in the body’s innate immune defense by patrolling for invading pathogens and working to eliminate them.11 Omega-3s also promote innate immune function by increasing the number and phagocytic capacity of neutrophil cells—a process wherein the cell essentially destroys a virus or infected cell by binding to it and engulfing it.12,13

Studies also show that EPA and DHA can enhance adaptive immune function by promoting the growth and specialization of certain types of T cells 14,15 and increasing the number and percentages of B cell populations in different tissues.16,17

2. Probiotics

A growing body of research suggests that probiotics—live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host—also play an important role in immune health.18 Although it might be difficult to wrap your mind around how ingesting microorganisms (usually bacteria) can help the body fight off harmful invaders, research shows that these beneficial microbes promote immune health through the activation of multiple immune mechanisms.19

For example, one of the ways probiotics promote immune health is by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics do this in a number of ways, including competing with pathogens for nutrients that promote growth and proliferation, producing substances that kill bacteria or stop their growth, and competing with pathogens for adherence to the intestinal epithelium a cellular layer that forms a physiological barrier against pathogenic microbes and detrimental substances in the intestines.20 Probiotics have also been shown to support immune health by enhancing barrier function and promoting the survival of intestinal epithelial cells.20

Perhaps the most significant mechanism through which probiotics support immune health is by stimulating immune cell activity. More specifically, supplementation with various probiotic species and strains have been shown to:

stimulate protective responses from intestinal epithelial cells 20
enhance innate immunity by stimulating the activity of NK cells in the spleen 21
induce the production of immunity-enhancing proteins in connective tissues 22
reinforce intestinal barrier integrity through increased gene expression 23
shift the composition of the gut toward specific beneficial bacteria 24

3. Vitamin D

This one may not come as a surprise, given that Vitamin D has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years for its role in supporting immune health.25 And indeed, its reputation as an immune-boosting nutrient is well-deserved. Once championed mainly for its beneficial effects on calcium absorption and bone health, an impressive amount of literature now finds that vitamin D can modulate both innate and adaptive immune responses.25

One of the most significant ways that vitamin D supports innate immunity is by stimulating the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which are endogenous antibiotics (i.e., antibiotics that originate within an organism). Secreted by various types of immune cells, these important peptides display a wide range of anti-microbial and anti-viral activities.26–30 Evidence of such activities are likely reflected in the results of a clinical trial, which found that supplementation with 1200 IU of vitamin D led to a 42% decrease in the incidence of influenza amongst school-age children.31

Further support for the importance of vitamin D comes from numerous studies associating deficiencies in Vitamin D with increased autoimmunity and susceptibility to infection, colds, and flu.32,33 In other words, individuals with lower vitamin D levels appear to be more vulnerable to autoimmune conditions and respiratory infections than people with adequate vitamin D status.

Unfortunately, numerous factors (e.g., time of year, use of sunscreen, limited sun exposure, and dark skin pigmentation, etc.) mean that an estimated 42% of American adults are deficient in vitamin D.34 For this reason, consuming dietary sources of vitamin D or taking a vitamin D supplement are highly recommended—particularly during the winter months when seasonal flu is most common.35

4. Melatonin

In the event of a novel virus, the functioning of your innate immune system (i.e., the quicker but less precise set of immune responses) is particularly important. This is because viral strains continuously undergo genetic mutations, which essentially enables them to evade pre-established adaptive immune responses. In other words, when a virus is new, the likelihood that exposed individuals will have built up the relevant antibodies to combat it is slim. Here’s where our fourth immune-boosting nutrient, melatonin, can help.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, a small group of specialized cells in the brain. Its primary function is to facilitate sleep onset by communicating to the body when it’s dark. In addition to its regulatory effects on sleep, melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant that helps regulate the main cellular components of the innate immune response. This has been evidenced by studies showing that:

melatonin injections led to significant increases in numbers of macrophage cells 36
supplementation with melatonin led to increases in NK cells in the bone marrow 37
treatment with melatonin stimulated innate immune cell activity 38

The fact that melatonin facilitates sleep onset further underscores its value as an immune-boosting dietary factor. This is because getting sufficient sleep (~7 to 9 hours for an adult) is one of the best ways to naturally support immune health, while insufficient sleep can leave you more vulnerable to getting sick after being exposed to a virus. For example, research finds that:

adults who received less than 6 hours of sleep a night were significantly more likely to develop a common cold after exposure than adults receiving 7 or more hours 39
women who slept 5 or fewer hours a night showed increased susceptibility to pneumonia 40
adults who slept less than 7 hours per night were 3x more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 or more hours 41

During sleep, your immune system releases cytokines (molecules that recruit other immune cells to the site of an infection and regulate their behavior) in order to help combat an infection or inflammation. Conversely, sleep deprivation can decrease the production of cytokines, as well as T cells and infection-fighting antibodies.42–44

5. Curcumin

Traditionally known for its beneficial effects on the body’s inflammatory response, curcumin (an orange-yellow spice extracted from the turmeric plant) is a powerful antioxidant with a number of research-backed health benefits.45 More specifically, research over the past few decades suggests that curcumin can support cardiovascular health, brain function, mental health, and you guessed it, immune system function.45–48

Although not commonly touted for its immune-boosting properties, a growing number of studies find that curcumin can modulate the growth and cellular response of various types of immune cells. For example, studies show that supplementation with curcumin can:

enhance the responses of antibodies 45
promote the immune response of lymphocytes (white blood cells) 49
increase B cell proliferation in the intestines 50
reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines 51

Something to keep in mind when looking to increase your curcumin intake is that curcumin’s poor solubility in water means taking it in its native form results in very low levels of absorption, which can in turn limit its therapeutic benefits. For this reason, looking for an optimized curcumin supplement that circumvents low bioavailability issues is highly recommended.

In closing

While nutritional strategies for enhancing immune health are certainly not infallible, the research reviewed here suggests that increasing your intake of immunity-enhancing dietary factors represents a prudent strategy for optimizing immune functioning and overall health. In light of the global health crisis, we appreciate you taking the time to read this article, and all efforts to maintain optimal immune health.

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